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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24087244">Same Song, Different Dance</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/PawnGhost/pseuds/PawnGhost'>PawnGhost</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>To Court a Mortal [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Labyrinth (1986)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Explicit Sex, F/M, Faerie rules, Humor, Jareth is determined not to fuck it up this time, Karaoke, Pining, Sarah is here to have a good time and nothing else, Smut, Unrequited Love, adversarial lovers, but that doesn't mean he isn't still the Goblin King</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 22:06:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,270</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24087244</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/PawnGhost/pseuds/PawnGhost</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jareth is determined to put his best foot forward as he makes one last attempt on Sarah's heart. The fact that she only wants him around for an occasional chat and tumble in the sheets does nothing to dissuade him. He's willing to let her run the show this time 'round and if they're destined to once again go down in flames, well, at least she'll be the one to lead them there.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jareth &amp; Sarah Williams, Jareth/Sarah Williams</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>To Court a Mortal [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1737709</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>84</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Flowers in Bloom</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Aaaaand we're back, ladies and gentleman. </p><p>We're getting the story from Jareth's pov during the course of this fic. This chapter is fairly short (I usually try for 4k entries) but it does a good job of setting the tone.</p><p>And to anyone worryied that the Goblin King's gone soft, don't. He's still our beloved shitlord, he's just grown up enough to realize that that isn't enough to win Sarah over.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jareth was infamous for many things among the pale folk, not least of all the unfortunate circumstances surrounding his ascension to the throne. </p><p>Two centuries of, almost, unchallenged rule had begun as penance, his father exiling him to the Underground for debauchery and mischief considered too destructive for even their kind.</p><p>To both the dismay and pride of his father, Jareth had only flourished in exile. The mercurial nature of the Labyrinth and its inhabitants suited him and in turn he had brought them even more opportunities for mischief and mayhem.</p><p>Capitalizing on his notoriety, Jareth had taken a land known only for its bogs, goblins and child snatching and, without changing a damned thing about it, made it the home of the most well attended parties in all of faerie.</p><p>No one threw a fête like the Goblin King. Invitations to his revels were a point of pride among the peerage, to not want or receive one was to court a reputation for being dull and dour. No small insult among a people who prized beauty and celebration above all else.</p><p>It was a mixed bag as far as the goblins were concerned. On the one hand, they’d be forced into restrictive costumes or regalia designed to match the evenings’ theme and made to serve the visiting nobles. But on the other, there was an unspoken agreement with their ruler that they could trick and pilfer the revelers to their hearts’ content so long as they weren’t caught at anything too egregious.</p><p>And if Jareth capitalized on the rivers of drink to snatch the occasional treaty or trade agreement from one of his more influential, and influenced, guests, well, that was the price of business in faerie. Anyone trying to weasel out of a deal, even one made in a state of on-your-face drunkenness, was just being a poor sport.</p><p>So, understandably, it was a surprise to everyone involved when Jareth cancelled a party weeks into its planning on the morning of the very day it was meant to occur. Lounging on his throne, gazing distractedly into one of his crystals, he waved away the throng of irritated goblins that grumbled and griped about efforts wasted on preparations in the wake of the announcement.</p><p>As the last of them filtered out of the throne room, the King spared a glance for the lone remaining figure. “Send word to the invitees expressing my regret,” he commanded offhandedly.</p><p>“Very well, my lord,” replied the stooped, ancient shape that was the Wise Man.</p><p>From the tattered mass of his robes, his gnarled fingers withdrew a large glass jar, fumbling with the stopper momentarily before freeing it with a loud pop. A small pale shape darted out, an insectile buzzing emanating from its wings as it flew to his shoulder. The pixie nodded as the Wise Man mumbled instructions and then flew out the window to gather its brethren and spread the word. And, hopefully, not get crushed by angry gentry in the process.</p><p>Jareth ignored the interaction, eyes still fixed on the contents of the translucent sphere balanced on his gloved fingers and was only aware that the Wise Man was still in attendance when the old man cleared his throat loudly and pointedly.</p><p>“Yes?” Jareth asked, tone clipped. This was undoubtedly not a conversation he wanted to have.</p><p>“You have never so much as postponed one of your hedonistic distractions in the past,” the old man mused and Jareth did not miss the way his eyes sparkled from deep within in that wrinkled face. Or the conspicuous silence of the old fool’s irritating bird companion. “As advisor to the throne, I’d be remiss in my responsibilities if I did not inquire as to the nature of our king’s strange behavior.”</p><p>“As the man who sits that throne, I find it odd to hear you claim a title you’ve never bothered to perform the duties of,” Jareth intoned dully. And the day had started so well, he bemoaned to himself. As he spoke, he swung his boots from the arm of his seat onto the floor and leveled the full of his attention on the old man. Even the hardiest goblin would have gone scurrying for cover.</p><p>But the Wise Man was no goblin. The bird atop his head, at least, had the presence of mind to cower.</p><p>“Perhaps you have forgotten the evening of your own coronation, I believe I gave you the only counsel you should ever need,” he rasped around a sly grin.</p><p>Jareth could not help but to laugh at the memory. Exiled to a foreign land, only on the barest cusp of adulthood and being handed the reigns of a kingdom infamous for its rejection of monarchs, he had accepted the crown with youthful arrogance. “You told me not to screw it up.”</p><p>The old man smiled but not unkindly.</p><p>“And for a time, I believed you had actually heeded that particular nugget of wisdom,” the Wise Man replied gently. “Wild parties and constant philandering aside, you served the Labyrinth faithfully. At least,” he paused to glance at the orb still clutched in Jareth’s hand. “Until you willfully botched a Run in a pique of infatuation. Have you forgotten the consequences of failure so soon?”</p><p>The old bastard. Jareth should have known he’d be the first to find out about the reunion with Sarah. Secrets were hard to keep for any king and nearly impossible for one as bound to their realm as he was. Barely two weeks had passed and despite having breathed a word of it to no one, the Underground was already rife with speculation about the king’s impromptu trip to the aboveground.</p><p>Something incredible must have happened, they whispered, to cause the unprecedented eruption of thousands of flowers across the surface of the Labyrinth.</p><p>“One mistake against a thousand triumphs,” he deadpanned, levity evaporating. “The Labyrinth has survived a reclaimed child in the past and we both know it.”</p><p>“You are hardly more than a child yourself, Jareth, and it is never quite so obvious as when you think you’re being clever,” he admonished, the spitting image of a put upon father. More like great great great great great grandfather, Jareth thought petulantly. “It was not the loss of the boy that set the winds wailing through the kingdom. How much greater the fallout when the girl rejects you again, Jareth?”</p><p>“It is not the same,” Jareth insisted, with no small amount of frustration. Why did he feel the need to justify his actions to this old fool? “Rest your brittle old bones easy knowing that the stakes I play for are considerably less this time.”</p><p>“As you say, your highness,” the Wise Man conceded with a bow. “I only ask that you guard your heart better this time.”</p><p>The king stood silent, lost in thought, as the hunched figure departed.</p><p>For all the power granted to him by the Labyrinth, it did not come without certain frustrating drawbacks. Meandering up the stairwell to his private quarters, Jareth stepped onto his balcony and glared at the riot of color that greeted him. One could barely see the stonework of the maze through the gaudy flowers that blanketed its walls. No matter how he wished to, he could not will or magic the offensive things away. They were not his work but that of the Labyrinth itself. </p><p>There would be no denying his feelings for Sarah, not if the damned thing had any say in it. </p><p>“Keep out of it,” Jareth muttered sourly and balked to see a profusion of rose bushes sprout along the outer walls of the Labyrinth at his words.</p><p>Before he could hurl any more regrettable sentiments, a loud metallic clattering and an eruption of foul language distracted him. Peering over the railing of the balcony, Jareth saw that far below, at the castles entrance, a smattering of goblins were struggling to dismantle a decorative archway with little success. It was only one of the many of such tasks ahead of them since he’d cancelled the evening’s festivities.</p><p>Pulling a glass of wine from nothing, he leaned on his elbows and let the theatrics of the irritated goblins at work lighten his mood. Occasionally, when the squabbling subsided and they began to work in peaceful tandem, Jareth would use his magic to tilt a cobblestone just so. One goblin would trip into another, decorations were dropped, toes crushed, and chaos would break out once again.</p><p>He spent an hour in idle entertainment this way before, feeling very much cheered, his thoughts turned to the summons that had necessitated the sudden change of plans in the first place.</p><p>Sarah had called on in him in the early hours of the morning, asking to speak to him through a hand mirror. She’d been lying in bed, looking delectably disheveled, and he’d felt a wave of frustration that she hadn’t asked for him to appear in person. In hushed tones, so as not to draw the attention of her housemate, she had asked him to join her for an evening out if he didn’t already have other plans.</p><p>“It just so happens that my schedule is clear.” Lying had never been easier.</p><p>She’d resisted his attempts to draw her into any flirtatious banter after that, telling him flatly to “save it for later” before setting the mirror face down on her bedspread to go about her day. He didn’t mind overly much. It had been the first contact they’d had since parting ways and the fact that she had been the one to reach out was well worth the brevity of it.</p><p>Well, Jareth amended, it was the first contact they’d had that Sarah was aware of.</p><p>Though she had extracted a promise from to him to refrain from using his magic in any way relating to her, it had only been an implicit one and, therefore, was not binding in the slightest. He really should teach her about the intricacies of bargains and promises in faerie society one day. Not until he was sure she wouldn't use that knowledge against him, though.</p><p>Thinking of the conversation he’d eavesdropped on, only the morning after their liaison, Jareth lay in his bed and summoned a crystal. There was time yet and little to do until he needed to leave for the mortal realm. A pleasant reminder of what was in store would ease the boredom. </p><p>From within the crystal came the voice of Sarah’s roommate. Laura, he remembered belatedly.</p><p>“Roll your eyes all you want but I still think he’s some sort of vampire. Or maybe some kind of leech monster, I don’t know. What I do know is that your neck looks you were strangled by someone with only one hand.”</p><p>“Please let me drink my coffee in peace.” Sarah was seated on the ratty green couch he remembered vividly, legs drawn up and hunched over a steaming mug. As it had the first time, the sight of her in nothing more than a thin-strapped undershirt and a pair of shorts, a twin of the ones he’d ripped off her himself, sent a surge of warmth through him. “Side note: I’m pretty sure ‘one-handed strangler’ is a euphemism for something else entirely.”</p><p>“No doubt but don’t change the subject. You ditched me last night without even a goodbye and I was still gracious enough to let you make us coffee before asking anything,” Laura huffed, throwing her petite frame onto the couch with such force that Sarah nearly spilled her drink. “Ask not for whom the bell tolls, my friend.”</p><p>“It’s not even eight o’clock, you tyrant,” Sarah groaned, clutching her mug protectively. It was nice to see her irritated with someone other than himself for a change.</p><p>“It tolls for thee, Sarah. It. Tolls.” Each word was punctuated by a jab to the ribs that had Sarah shooting daggers. “For. Thee.”</p><p>“Alright alright, Hemingway, do your worst.”</p><p>“Okay, so, first of all, this isn’t going to do you any good,” Laura proclaimed, snatching a scarf from beside Sarah and tossing it in a fluttering arc to land in a heap on the floor. “There isn’t an accessory alive that could cover that,” here she’d made a sweeping gesture at what seemed to be the entirety of her friend, “And even if there was, you've conveniently forgotten that it’s barely October. You’d sweat yourself to death before the day was done.”</p><p>“It’s not like I can cover it in makeup,” Sarah sighed before adding with a smirk. “Definitely worth it, though.”</p><p>“Exactly! Why hide it? You got fucked senseless, that’s awesome. Who cares if people know it was by some toothless vampire?” Sarah relaxed into the couch, the change in posture pulling her hair aside just enough for Jareth to glimpse once more the evidence of his handiwork. From just above her shoulder to right beneath her ear, an impressive expanse of her skin was a rich panoply of colorful bruises. Laura spoke truly, no scarf was up to the task. “You’re only young once so live it up. Badge of honor, baby!”</p><p>The Goblin King couldn’t agree more. In fact, he looked forward to not only renewing his mark on her tonight but also trying to persuade her to keep it undisguised afterward.</p><p>“Again, not a vampire,” Sarah insisted. “And I’ll give it a test drive, if nothing else.”</p><p>“Glad to hear it. So.”</p><p>“So get on with it,” Sarah huffed with a laugh. “Rapid fire question time, some of us have a class to get ready for.”</p><p>Taking a deep breath, Laura let loose. “How was it? Are you seeing him again? How much of a coincidence is it that he ticks several of your ‘mysterious stranger’ boxes?”</p><p>“Great. Yes. And very much a coincidence.” What a little liar his Sarah was.</p><p>“I can’t believe I’m around to see the day that Sarah ‘love ‘em and leave ‘em’ Williams finds a man worth her time,” Laura crowed, bouncing on the cushions.</p><p>Sarah shook her head, smiling ruefully. “Love has nothing to do with it. I'm just hoping he can deal with that better than the others.”</p><p>Laura had appeared to consider this. “How long do you think it'll last?”</p><p>Jareth brought the crystal closer to study her face as she answered.</p><p>“That’s up to him.”</p><p>Apparently, that was all there was to it. Humming thoughtfully, he dissolved the image and dropped the crystal beside him on the sheets. He considered, for what felt like the thousandth time, how to approach the dilemma before him.</p><p>Her attraction to him had gotten his foot in the door, now he just needed time to convince her to let him in entirely. How, then, to court a woman who before now had only seen him at his worst?</p><p>Their meeting had been a low point for him. It was no secret that he’d hated her then. Even before she’d shattered the ballroom and denied him.</p><p>Falling in love with a slip of a mortal girl had set his teeth on edge and he’d taken every opportunity to punish her for his own feelings because of it. And yet, he’d offered her the entirety of his power and himself to try to keep her from leaving.</p><p>Sitting up abruptly, Jareth slapped his palms against his thighs and launched himself to his feet. It would be different this time. Crossing to a full length mirror, he considered his reflection. He'd had his chance before and it had been a spectacular failure. He was willing to follow her lead for a change.</p><p>Remembering how she’d told him he'd looked like an accountant last time, he shifted through glamour after glamour, searching for one passably mortal but outrageous enough to suit his style. Something with tight pants, preferably, he thought with a wicked grin.</p><p>Sarah only wanted good company and great sex? fine by him, those were two things he was known for providing in spades. Their was time enough to play her game. For now.</p><p>Didn’t mean he couldn’t stack the deck in his favor just a tiny bit in the meantime.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Confrontations and Confessions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's the night of their second date, or friendly meet-up as Sarah would like to call it, but the evening takes twist after turn that leave both her and the Goblin King at wit's end.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jareth had imagined reclaiming Sarah a thousand times in a hundred thousand ways over the years.</p><p>In the dead of night, alone and wanting, he would picture taking her in a blur of anger and passion. No coddling or promises, no kindness. He could see so clearly the image of her face pressed against stone, the bruising force he’d use to cage her against the wall with his hands and hips. The way she would cry out at his every thrust. A chance, at last, to pour every ounce of hurt and bitterness into her and all the while she would beg him for more.</p><p>Other times, he was gentle. He would bring her to a hidden glen in one of the forests of his kingdom and ply her with sweet words and sweeter kisses. The soft grass beneath her would be in beautiful contrast with the rich brown of her hair and the pink flush of arousal across her naked body. Slowly, tortuously, maddeningly, he would bring her to climax time and again beneath the open skies, only stopping when her trembling and tears demanded it.</p><p>More often than not he was the one to initiate these fantastical encounters, reinserting himself into her life at his own pleasure. In a few, Sarah was the one to call out to him, asking him back. They began in countless ways but always ended in more or less the same place.</p><p>Among those beginnings, meeting her in a grungy bar full of drunk twenty-something mortals had never featured, he thought ruefully as he approached the door. Even from outside he could hear the roar of cheers and what sounded like glass breaking.</p><p>Nearly every patron in the place had gathered in a tight cluster, circling around and yelling at some kind of spectacle. Tables had been pulled aside and staff were scurrying about collecting abandoned drinks and plates, more concerned with protecting glassware than breaking up whatever was going on.</p><p>There was no sign of Sarah among the spectators and with a small exertion of influence, Jareth pressed into the ring of screaming mortals.</p><p>None of his daydreams had ever included finding Sarah in the middle of a bar room brawl, either. Her hair was wild, long strands of it flying loose from her braid, as she buried her knee into a young man’s gut. As he doubled over, the crowd around them erupted in taunts and jeers, urging him to stand, to prove himself.</p><p>Sarah was deaf to their words, standing impassively above her winded opponent and radiating cold fury. She looked every bit a righteous warrior in a simple shirt and jeans, and Jareth found himself realizing he had only robbed himself by not picturing her thusly before.</p><p>As if sensing his presence, Sarah turned sharply and zeroed in on him, a silent question in her gaze. Will you try to stop me, try to protect me? He shook his head minutely and shoved his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. The wild grin she shot him was all the confirmation he needed that he’d made the right choice.</p><p>Sarah could handle herself, he knew that better than most. Besides, this was a side to her he’d never seen and was finding very enjoyable.</p><p>Their brief communication had lasted just long enough for the young man in the circle to catch his breath and he stood now, glaring hatred at her. Whatever words he sneered were lost to Jareth in the din of the crowd but it was enough to wipe the smile off Sarah’s face and she launched herself at him.</p><p>Above their heads, Jareth caught sight of what appeared to be the owner of the establishment, phone pressed to his ear and speaking quickly. This would needed to end quickly, he had no intention of losing his evening with Sarah to nosy authorities. </p><p>Turns out, he needn’t have worried. The young man had the remains of Sarah’s braid in one hand and was mid punch when she kicked him swear in the crotch. He began to collapse and with a quick snap of her knee into his descending face, the ordeal was over.</p><p>Jareth didn’t hesitate, just grabbed her elbow and pulled her behind him and out of the bar. Some of the spectators were trying to congratulate her but she ignored them, as eager, it seemed, to be gone as he was.</p><p>They didn’t speak until they were clear of the crowd and out on the street. Sarah pulled from his grip and broke into loud laughter. Her face was flushed and sweaty, a bruise blooming on one cheek. She looked radiant and half mad.</p><p>“Holy shit,” she huffed breathlessly. “Talk about good timing.”</p><p>“I can’t say that I agree.” He’d never wanted to kiss someone as badly as he did her in this moment. “Would have been much better if I’d gotten to see the whole thing.”</p><p>“You caught the good part,” she assured him and began to re-braid her hair. “Also, gotta say, I’m loving the new look.” Heated eyes lingered on the dark denim that hugged his legs before flicking to the black leather of his jacket.</p><p>“Tight pants and leather,” he teased. “You’re getting predictable, Sarah.”</p><p>“It’s not being predictable to know what you want,” she retorted with a not so gentle slap to his rear.</p><p>Before he could retaliate, they heard sirens in the distance. Linking his hand with hers, he pulled her further down the road and away from any possible legal trouble.</p><p>“Is this a regular hobby of yours, Miss Williams?” he asked as they walked hand in hand. “Fist fights and escaping the law?”</p><p>“God, no.” She began to swing their joined hands in a wide arc, still awash in adrenaline. “I don’t exactly go looking for fights. That’s only the third time that kind of thing has happened.”</p><p>“Could have fooled me.” Nothing about the way she fought had seemed inexperienced.</p><p>“Dad and Karen made me take a few self defense courses before I moved away for school.” Ah, well, that explained the poor sod’s flattened testicles. “Not that I put up a fuss over it. They’d tear me a new one if they knew how I’ve been putting those lessons to use, though.”</p><p>“I, for one, am grateful for their forethought.” He gave her hand a playful squeeze. “I’m quite taken with this barbarous side of you.”</p><p>“Careful,” she teased, raising her free hand to level a fist at him. “Or I might kick your ass next.”</p><p>“Please do try.” He stopped walking and snagged her wrist, laying a kiss across her clenched knuckles. “I think I might just like it.”</p><p>With a flick to his nose, she pulled her arm back and resumed their pace. “I’ll keep that in mind.”</p><p>Their conversation moved to her school work as they meandered aimlessly, neither voicing an interest in any particular destination. She was an english major, she told him with an eye roll, clarifying that it was considered a useless endeavor to most when he raised an eyebrow. Apparently, she wanted to write books for children and at his prodding, she shared a few of her ideas.</p><p>It was an easy career to picture her in, he told her and she smiled to hear it.</p><p>“If I can give even a few kids the kind of companionship and comfort that I got from books growing up, the college debt will be totally worth it.”</p><p>As it had that first night, the ease with which she confided in him was as surprising as it was gratifying. A similar thought must have crossed Sarah’s mind, some sudden awareness of the intimacy of their conversation. With a quick sideways glance at him, she slipped her hand from his.</p><p>Ahead of them, a park was coming into view and Jareth steered them toward it with a gentle nudge. “My curiosity is getting the best of me, Sarah. Regale me with the sordid details of your fight.”</p><p>It had certainly left her in a good mood and he hoped that the memory of it would help to mend the sudden distance between them.</p><p>“Nothing much to tell. I was waiting for you with Laura and her girlfriend and we heard arguing.” She shrugged. “That jackass had cornered a girl and was really laying into her. It looked like she was alone. Everyone else was just pretending they didn’t notice.” There was an undercurrent of bitterness to her at that. “No one ever wants to get involved.”</p><p>They’d reached the park and Sarah made her way to a sadly weathered bench as she spoke. He took a seat next to her, careful to keep the distance she’d established between them.</p><p>“Anyway, she was crying and he was angry and pulling at her arm.” Soft flecks of paint fell to the dirt as she picked at the wood with her nails, her eyes averted. “So, I stepped in. I just wanted to get her away from him. Laura and Madison left to take her home while I made sure he couldn’t follow them.”</p><p>It was dark in the park, with only a pale smattering of moonlight making it through the branches of the trees. Dark shadow wreathed her, complimenting the turn her mood had taken. Whether it was regret or shame she felt, he could not tell. Neither emotion made sense to him.</p><p>“You defended the defenseless. There’s honor in that.” Even in the Labyrinth she’d tried to help when she could. Remembering her laughter, a thought occurred to him. “Are you upset that you enjoyed the violence?”</p><p>That struck a chord. Shoulders straightening, she turned to him and met his eyes.</p><p>“If I feel ashamed, it’s only because I was fighting for myself, not because I enjoyed it.” The words came faster and faster as she spoke, like she’d lanced some festering wound inside her and now all that was rotten was pouring out. “As soon as she was with Laura and out of harms way, I forgot about her. I didn’t even think of her again until you asked me what happened. She was safe and that should have been the end of it but I kept provoking him. I wanted him to lash out at me, I wanted an excuse to hurt him. To hurt someone like him.”</p><p>Ah, now her mood made sense. “Someone like me.”</p><p>“Someone who would corner a scared young girl and get pleasure from her fear? Yes.” Suddenly, she was standing in front him. There was an interminable pause before she spoke again, as if she was waiting to see if he’d to object to the accusation. “Someone I want to believe you’ve grown up from. I’ve spent the last two weeks wavering between giving you a second chance and expecting to wake up in an oubliette at any minute. I keep asking myself if I'm really stupid enough to risk my life, my freedom, for a good fuck?”</p><p>“Is that all I am? A good fuck?” he asked coolly.</p><p>“Yes, Jareth!” she half shouted. “What makes you think I could ever risk letting you be more than that?”</p><p>What could he say? He hadn’t changed, not in the way she wanted. He was as capable of cruelty now as he’d been seven years ago. The only real difference was that he’d come to accept his feelings for her in that time. Whether he lied and called himself a better man or told the truth and admitted his love for her didn’t matter. She wouldn’t accept either, not now.</p><p>Irritation flooded him.</p><p>“There’s never a right answer with you, is there?” he asked hotly. Matching her anger was the worst thing he could possibly do in this moment and he knew it. The words came pouring out anyway. “I have been kind, truly kind. I have made no threats, no promises. You asked me not to use magic, I have not. You want me to answer but never call, I have done so.” He stood to meet her glare, refusing to be looked down on any longer.</p><p>She gave no ground and they were nose to nose, their rising tempers only fueling each other. “I have made myself up as a mortal twice now and walked this filthy world, all for you.”</p><p>An echo from their past and a step too far, he could see it in her expression.</p><p>“Does living up to my expectations exhaust you, Jareth?” she asked icily. “Is it really so difficult to play this game on my turf? Do you really, seriously think that treating me with consideration and playing dress-up can in any way compare to me being constantly aware of my own powerlessness?”</p><p>That was the crux of it, then. She truly believed herself powerless outside the bounds of their game in the Labyrinth. In Sarah’s mind, he would always be seconds away from destroying her life.</p><p>“You have more power than you think,” he hissed. It was so easy to hate his love for her all over again, in moments like this.</p><p>“Tell me,” she demanded, pressing closer to him, challenging him in words and actions. “Tell me what a <em>mortal</em>,” the word dripped with derision, “could possibly do against an immortal, reality-bending, faerie, fucking, king?”</p><p>She jabbed a finger into his chest, pressing him backwards, all the while she continued to seethe. “I’ve done my research, Goblin King and what I found was underwhelming. What could I possibly do with iron and salt to stop something like you? Something that can walk between worlds with the same effort that I use to breathe.”</p><p>Still, she pushed him, until his legs hit the bench they’d abandoned and he could go no further. Undeterred, she pressed close, invading his space to lash out again. “Tell me, Jareth. What power do I have that in any way levels this playing field?”</p><p>She was breathing hard, face inches from his and again he was struck with a suffocating wave of need even as his anger peaked.</p><p><em>I love you</em>, he screamed in thought only. <em>I love that you are as cunning and charming as any child of faerie. I love that your mortality only serves to make your beauty shine brighter, and I hate that your life, as ferociously as you burn with it, will be gone in the space of a few of my heartbeats. More than anything, I hate that I would happily burn with you, for as long as you’d let me, if you would only love me back.</em></p><p>“You could deny me,” he said instead, the ‘again’ unspoken.</p><p>Sarah only laughed, close enough that the heat of her breath washed over him. “What good would it do? You’d just pop back into my life whenever you got around to remembering that I exist.”</p><p>Something in her was close to snapping and he remembered her description of the events in the bar.</p><p>“I won’t fight you, Sarah. No matter how much you provoke me, no matter how much you want me to.” Suddenly, he felt tired. It was exhausting to be with her right now, when all they wanted were impossible promises from one another.</p><p>The wood of the bench hit his back with a muffled thud and above him Sarah stood with her arms extended. She’d pushed him.</p><p>“I <em>want</em>,” she whispered heatedly, eyes haunted. “To not be afraid of you. I want to be able to like you without feeling weak and hating myself for it.”</p><p>Her words hit him with more force than any punch she could threaten him with. To hear her admit not only that she liked him but that she was stuck in the exact same emotional pit he’d been in when they first met. It was too much, this insane cycle they seemed destined to tread.</p><p>Jareth rocked with helpless laughter. He knew she thought he was mocking her confession but he couldn’t stop, even when she walked away. She’d made it out of the park by the time he managed to get himself under control. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he jogged after her, still mindful of his promise not use magic.</p><p>“Fuck off, Jareth.” She called over her shoulder, hearing him approach.</p><p>“Not a chance.” Getting ahead of her, he stopped in her path, pulling her into an embrace when she tried to march around him. He knew it would infuriate her, to have his inhuman strength used against her so soon after she admitted her fear of him. Still, there were things he needed to say and he would not chase her halfway across the city to say them.</p><p>“This isn’t a game to me, Sarah,” he said firmly and slowly she began to still in his arms. At least she was listening. He didn’t dare to loosen his hold, though, sure she’d try to slip away at the slightest give. “Among my kind, there is a popular belief that to court a mortal is to court your own destruction. There’s some truth in that. We don’t love like you do. For all our capriciousness, we love with a singularity of focus that makes yours fickle and fleeting by comparison.”</p><p>“I never asked you to love me,” she retorted, voice muffled by his jacket. “And I don’t love you.”</p><p>“I don’t expect you to,” he assured gently. Slowly, he stroked her back, trying to soothe some of the tension from her, and continued calmly. “I loved you when you were running the Labyrinth. But it was a selfish, vindictive thing. For my first love to be some upstart mortal girl? Someone who, for all I knew, would tire of and discard even the best of me? Unbearable.”</p><p>Sarah struggled in his arms again, taking some umbrage at the claim apparently but he talked over her. “Yes, first love. Now, hush.” Her shoulders slumped and she turned her head to rest her cheek to his shoulder, mumbling something about faerie bullshit.</p><p>“Regardless, I loved you as much as I hated myself for it, so I lashed out at you, punished you, and all the while was desperate for you to stay. I still love you, Sarah.” Reaching down he tilted her head to meet his gaze. “Only this time, I am trying to be worthy of it.”</p><p>“I don’t love you, though,” she insisted again.</p><p>“Yes, you keep saying,” he conceded with a wry grin. “All that I am asking for is the chance to enjoy your company for as long as you enjoy mine. If all that amounts to is a few passionate encounters, so be it. Though I do hope that, with enough time and persistence on my part, you could grow to perhaps tolerate me.”</p><p>When she tried to pull away again, he let her. She didn’t try to leave again, just looked at him warily. “So, if I ask you to leave, you will?”</p><p>“I’d ask you to think on it a while, but if afterwards you still wanted nothing to with me? Yes.” Seeing her lingering skepticism, he offered her the only assurance he could. “You told me you’d done your research, I assume you know our oath is binding. It’s why we’re so talented at double speak, no one wants to be held to a bad deal. I will swear it.”</p><p>There was no hesitation, Sarah just nodded tersely. “Do it.”</p><p>Jareth sighed. He’d really hoped it wouldn’t come to this but if it gave her enough peace of mind to continue this nascent relationship, he’d cope. He'd already tried living without her and that had been miserable by comparison.</p><p>With a deep breath, he began. “I, Jareth, Goblin King, Protector of the Underground, swear by my oath to the Labyrinth I serve, that should you tell me to leave you and never return, I will obey." True to his kind, he couldn't resist an addendum. "With the understanding that should you explicitly call for me, I have the option to come back.” Something in his stomach turned at the promise, it went against his nature to agree to anything so clearly not in his favor. “Is that favorable?”</p><p>“It’ll do,” she answered and some of the tension went out of her. They stood in silence for several minutes, each considering the unexpected turn the evening had taken. “What happens now?”</p><p>An honest question, but one that wasn't for him to answer.</p><p>“Whatever you want,” he said simply.</p><p>There would come a time when she’d stop surprising him, he was sure, but it was apparently still a ways off. “Take me to your bed.”</p><p>“Oh my, Sarah, how forward of you,” he simpered, fanning himself with a hand.</p><p>“To sleep.” Though her voice was stern she was smiling. “Laura and her girlfriend have dibs on the apartment tonight.”</p><p>Jareth only smiled and took her hand once more, leading her back into the park. “What a handy excuse.”</p><p>“Shut up.”</p><p>“Not likely.” In a small copse of trees, just off the trail, he opened a portal directly to his suite in the castle. Sarah paused on the brink, fingers tight around his own, but before he could say anything reassuring, she took a deep breath and stepped through.</p><p>For the first time in seven years, Sarah Williams was in the Underground.</p><p>And for the first time ever, she was in the Goblin King’s bedchambers.</p><p>A strange night, indeed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you were expecting singing and karaoke, I feel for you, because I was, too.</p><p>I love delving into Sarah's lingering hangups and I love these idiots. I hope you enjoy the chapter.</p><p>Next one is gonna be fun.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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